Wide-Ranging Deal Approved as Albany Session Closes

ALBANY — New York lawmakers approved a wide-ranging deal encompassing housing policy, education and other matters on Thursday night, finally reaching an end to this year’s turbulent legislative session.

The Senate adjourned shortly before midnight on Thursday, and the Assembly finished not long after, wrapping up a session that will be remembered more for its corruption arrests than its legislative achievements.

The deal was based on a tentative agreement that was announced on Tuesday. It included a four-year extension of rent regulations that apply to about one million apartments in New York City and its suburbs, though tenant advocates criticized the reforms that had been agreed upon as inadequate.

It also extended mayoral control of New York City’s schools, but by only one year, far from the permanent extension sought by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been repeatedly stymied by state lawmakers.

And it included an unexpected new power for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo: Legislators agreed to give him the legal authority to perform wedding ceremonies, just like some other officials, including mayors.

The governor said that after New York legalized same-sex marriage in 2011, a move that he championed, he had received requests to officiate at weddings, and wanted the ability to do so.

Before the fine print of the deal had been made public, Mr. Cuomo and the leaders of the Assembly and Senate held a news conference to trumpet it. The agreement also included a property tax rebate program and funding for nonpublic schools. The governor was not, however, able to reach agreements on some major goals, including criminal justice reforms.

The governor, a Democrat, called the agreement “a reasonable and intelligent compromise” in which “no one is exactly happy with everything.”

“We like to advocate in the ideal, but then we live in the real,” he said, adding, “At the end of the day, progress is better than stalemate.”

The session had been originally scheduled to end on June 17, but negotiations dragged into this week, prolonging a session that included the arrests of the leaders of both legislative houses on federal corruption charges.

The governor and lawmakers were grappling with a number of thorny and time-sensitive issues, including the future of rent regulations and a tax incentive program intended to encourage developers to create affordable housing, known as 421-a.

The tax incentive program was also extended, with changes intended to produce more units of affordable housing, though that extension is contingent on the real estate industry and organized labor reaching an agreement on wages for construction workers.

The governor and Legislature also responded to the growing dismay over the state’s new standardized tests, which were made more difficult two years ago, causing passing rates to plummet. The agreement directed the education commissioner to form a committee to study whether the tests were appropriate for the grade level of the students taking them, and it also required the commissioner to release some test questions to the public each year.

In a capitol known for its opacity, the final moments of session did not disappoint. The 72-page bill spelling out what the governor and legislative leaders had agreed to on a series of subjects did not materialize until Thursday night. To allow for the speedy approval, Mr. Cuomo waived the required three-day waiting period.

Some lawmakers complained about the process. “I would be negligent to my constituents to vote on something that I have not read,” said Senator Jesse Hamilton, a Brooklyn Democrat.

At the news conference, Mr. Cuomo described the mayor as “a personal friend of mine for many, many years.” But when asked if he was the source of critical statements made Wednesday, the governor did not deny the quotations were his.

“I said a lot of things yesterday,” Mr. Cuomo said, adding: “Sometimes we talk on the record, sometimes we talk on background.” About 125 miles south of the Capitol, Mr. de Blasio, a fellow Democrat, happened to be holding his own news conference as Mr. Cuomo was making his remarks. Asked about the apparent confession by the governor, Mr. de Blasio opted not to engage.

“We are focused right now on policy,” the mayor told a reporter. “I know that’s a little hard to take in.”